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The North/South Divide in Crime Fiction (guest feature on CrimeTime)
I wrote a feature for CrimeTime about the North/South divide in crime fiction and how setting can impact on a story. Name an island off the coast of England. Isle of Wight? Isle of Man? Maybe Lundy, if you’re feeling clever. How about Walney Island? It’s an island, a beautiful windswept island, off the north…
To Newcastle in a flash: my experience of reading at Virtual Noir at the Bar
One unexpected upside of a global pandemic is that it makes “travel” much easier. Virtual travel, to book events, anyway. Attending Newcastle’s Noir at the Bar, a boozy evening with crime writers, would have been difficult for me two months ago, what with the expense and travel time. Now that all our social gatherings are…
Make your protagonist the type of person who jumps into the fray – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
In life, I’m a risk-averse person. I always weigh up my options and try to act prudently. In novels, I’ve found that prudent characters make for boring protagonists. Dead Ringer got immeasurably better when I added in a second narrator, Jem. She’s reckless and rebellious and will always throw herself into the fray. For this…
Dead Ringer book launch event – in pictures
Friday 28 February saw the official launch of Dead Ringer at Foyles in Bristol. Here’s some pictures and notes from the big night. I started off with a little speech and a reading of the first chapter of Dead Ringer. As you can see, there were many #faces during the reading… I missed my calling…
Dead Ringer – what the bloggers say
How did Dead Ringer go down with the book bloggers? Here’s a round-up of what happened on part 1 of the blog tour. “Littered with moments of dark humour and flawless insight, I found myself inside the head of both girls as their story came tumbling out.” (Full review at Chapterinmylife) “Fast paced, addictive and…
Joining a writing group will save your soul – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
When I look back and try to identify the ONE thing that took me from slush pile to publication, it’s joining a writing group. Specifically, a workshop critique group. This was a big, scary step for me, because (like most writers) I haaate having my writing critiqued. At the time, it felt like someone was…